This keeps them from voting on it without debating it - I think. Otherwise, they would just go straight to the up/down vote. If i’m wrong, somebody correct me, please.
They need the debate time so they can finalize any bribery and/or any blackmailing that’s going on...
So, virtually, a vote to bring it to the floor for debate is a vote FOR the bill, as 97% of legislation brought to debate by cloture (60 votes) is passed.
The ones like Landrieu and Lincoln will propose amendments which will probably be voted down, and then they feel they have cover because they only voted for DEBATE.They may even vote against the final bill but since only 51 votes are needed then, they will get their cover while toeing the Dem party line. Everyone KNOWS 60 votes for debate virtually assures passage.
vaudine
Government programs NEVER work out the way legislators think they will - both on the plus & the minus side.
How this one works out is anybodies’ guess.
My guess is that it will DRIVE HIGH COST PROCEDURES (open heart surgery etc etc... ) OFF SHORE where the cost will be much lower and the care about the same (see WSJ article TODAY on Indian Healthcare in the CAYMAN ILES)
This is a vote to say ‘Yes, let’s bring it out of committee and onto the Senate floor for a full-blown debate.’
But it’s a sham because it takes 60 votes to get it out of committee BUT ONLY 50 VOTES on the Senate floor to PASS IT! So they can debate blah blah blah all they want, it’s all a show and at the end of it the dems will simply vote it in with 50 votes.
Goodbye America. Hello AmeriKa.